The Minister of Tourism, Culture & Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has appealed to the regional house of chiefs, traditional councils and other stakeholders to support the ministry to galvanise cultural resources and sustain them.
She said in Ghana, cultural diversity flourishes within a framework of democratic pluralism, tolerance and mutual respect among people of various cultures.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare was speaking at a durbar to climax the week-long celebration of the Homogeneous Festival on the theme: ‘My Culture Rocks’ in Accra.
The festival dubbed: ‘Homofest 2016’, was instituted two years ago by the Ministry of Tourism Culture & Creative Arts as part of measures to promote domestic tourism.
She said HOMOFEST is one of the vehicles for the ministry to deepen domestic tourism and boost international tourism using the rich and diverse culture and the creative talents of the people.
She said the festival has become a domestic and international tourism and cultural product being advertised on the global electronic and print media landscape.
According to her, the third HOMOFEST was possible because of the strong partnership that exists between the ministry and its agencies and other stakeholders.
“Results obtained from the evaluation of the 2013 and 2014 HOMOFEST celebrations indicated that significant jobs were created and income generated by businesses operating in the formal and informal sectors in the region,” she added.
The minister said a unique characteristic of HOMOFEST is the reconstruction of the country’s history which was almost forgotten by younger generations who seem to be obsessed with foreign cultures and values.